Earlier this month, Gov. Jeff Landry told The Advocate that he was not opposed to establishing passenger rail service between Baton Rouge and New Orleans but that he would “much rather fix our roads.”
More specifically, Landry said he would rather see both sides of Interstate 10 widened to three lanes along the proposed passenger rail route.
So given those comments from the governor, what does the future of the passenger rail project look like?
Nearly 400 miles north of Fort Worth, Rod Kreie, the mayor of Newton, Kansas, happily envisions a day when he and his friends can hop aboard a southbound Amtrak to go watch his revered Kansas City Chiefs “beat up” on the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington’s AT&T Stadium.
For now, the nearest north-south train from Fort Worth, Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer, ends its journey in Oklahoma City — nearly 200 miles south of Kreie’s town of about 18,000 people. But an unprecedented Biden administration plan designed to pump new life into the nation’s passenger rail system would extend the Flyer all the way to Newton while dramatically escalating Fort Worth’s stature as a major hub for national rail travel.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry has come out and said while he does not oppose passenger rail service connecting Baton Rouge and New Orleans, he’d rather see money go towards widening I-10 between the two cities.
John Spain, a member of the Southern Rail Commission, says, why not both?
Gov. Jeff Landry is not opposed to passenger rail service between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, but he would rather see three lanes on either side of Interstate 10 along that route, he told The Advocate | The Times-Picayune on Tuesday.
On Oct. 1, the Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners took the first step toward possibly returning railroad service to the county.
The commission approved a letter of request to be sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis and the president-speaker of the Florida Senate and House urging elected leaders to join the Southern Rail Commission (SRC), which will allow all parties to explore the restoration of passenger rail service in the Florida Panhandle.
The Southern Rail Commission and Amtrak gave an update to the New Orleans City Council and says work is underway right now to have service in 2025.
It’s been 43 days since the Mobile City Council gave the “All Aboard!” for a long-stalled and debated Amtrak project connecting the Alabama coastal city with New Orleans.
Hopes were high for Amtrak’s Gulf Coast return in time for the Super Bowl following the council’s vote to support a $3.064 million expenditure for the train’s operations. By Halloween, the public would know the name of the train.
Amtrak passenger trains are still six months or so away, yet excitement is building for their return and the business the excursions could bring to South Mississippi.
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker stopped Tuesday at Pop Brothers store in Gulfport to speak about the economic impact of the train service.
"We expect the service to begin early next year," Wicker said. Getting the trains running in time for the Super Bowl on Feb. 9 at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, though, "would be a stretch," Wicker said.
Senator Roger Wicker, Gulfport Mayor Billy Hewes, and local small business owners met today to share their excitement for the return of passenger rail service to the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
More people are going to be discovering The Secret Coast now that Amtrak will be back on these tracks – and The City of Gulfport is already seeing a positive economic impact from it.
Train travel through the South is about to get a fresh impetus next year, as a route along the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana is on track to be restored after a nearly 20-year hiatus.